


Charlie's Howler

by thequidditchpitch_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Comedy, Drabble, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-24
Updated: 2010-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-26 12:51:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10787094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thequidditchpitch_archivist/pseuds/thequidditchpitch_archivist
Summary: Charlie receives a Howler from his mother.  Sequel to "Up in Smoke."





	Charlie's Howler

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Annie, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Quidditch Pitch](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Quidditch_Pitch), which went offline in 2015 when the hosting expired, at a time I was not able to renew it. I contacted Open Doors, hoping to preserve the archive using an old backup, and began importing these works as an Open Doors-approved project in April 2017. Open Doors e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Quidditch Pitch collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thequidditchpitch/profile).

Charlie Weasley took his usual late evening stroll around the compound. All was quiet, as least as quiet as one could expect with a dozen fully-grown dragons nearby. The air was hot and sultry. He was tired, having just returned from spending two weeks at the Burrow after Fred‘s death. He had offered to stay longer, but his parents insisted it was time for things to get back to normal. 

But Charlie knew it would be a new kind of normal. 

Not for the first time, he felt a longing to give up chasing dragons and settle down near his family. Things had changed so much in the years he had been away. His parents had aged, Ron and Ginny had grown up, and he had lost a brother he scarcely knew. 

When he returned to his quarters, he took a packet of cigarettes from his knapsack. He chuckled when he noticed several were missing. Ginny, no doubt. She had asked for some, and pouted like a child when he refused. He needed to quit; he was well aware of the health risk involved, but not tonight. He needed the relaxation that a good cigarette brought. 

He wondered what career he could pursue if he left Romania. His father could probably find him a job at the Ministry, but did he really want to be shut up in an office all day? Teaching at Hogwarts was a possibility; Charlie remembered Ron's letter about how boring Hagrid’s Care of Magical Creatures class was. Maybe he’d write to Professor McGonagall about taking over the class himself.

The next morning, Charlie wrote two letters. One to Professor McGonagall and the other to his father, in care of the Ministry, asking what positions were available. 

He was just finishing when a large gray owl, the kind used for international deliveries, swooped through the open window. The bird carried a bright red envelope in its beak, which it dropped on top of Charlie’s desk.  It had been years since he'd gotten a Howler, and he had little doubt of who had sent it.

_“Charlie Weasley! How dare you give those filthy cigarettes to Ginny! What kind of example is that to set for her?  I thought your father’s shed was on fire when I saw the smoke. I found Ginny and Hermione inside, puffing away! They had to weed the garden without magic as punishment; I’d make you do the same if I had you here. I’ve never been so disgusted with you!”_

Charlie’s ears were ringing by the time the Howler finished. Slowly, he tore up the letters he had written. 

Staying in Romania seemed like a good idea. 

A fire-breathing dragon wasn’t half as dangerous as his mother when she was angry. He also hoped his two-faced baby sister had put in a long, sweaty day working in the garden.


End file.
